Staying Silent
by WhyteRoze28
Summary: Why is Hector Zeroni so quiet, and why does Pendanski seem to hate him so much? Zero/Stanley I hope you like the story, please R/R
1. Chapter 1

Staying Silent

Whyteroze28

Why is Hector Zeroni so quiet, and why does Pendanski seem to hate him so much? Zero/Stanley I hope you like the story, please R/R

I obviously don't own these guys, but I think they're so cute together

Chapter 1

His name was Hector. Hector Zeroni. He had to remind himself every night, because no-one ever called him that. Stupid... yeah, he got that alot. Worthless... sometimes. Zero. The one he hated most of all, because it was the truest.

Even that slimeball Pendanski called him Zero. It was the name he'd given the cop on the bus, and it had gotten spread around fast enough that no-one had called him by his real name.

Pendanski, the man who didn't believe in nicknames, yet allowed a group of teenage boys to call him 'Mom'. Now that was fucked up.

Hector had been here at Camp Green Lake for almost a month. He'd watched Lewis (aka Barf Bag) get himself bitten by a rattlesnake, rather than put up with another day here. The other boys seemed to think it was the digging that got to him. Hector knew better.

When Hector had arrived at Camp Green Lake, he'd met Mr. Sir, who'd made him want to laugh. But then they'd gone to the supply cabin, and Pendanski had been there. He'd had to strip, to get into that awful orange jumpsuit, and he'd felt the man's eyes burning holes into his skin the whole time.

Then he'd been introduced to the others, and seen the way Pendanski's eyes had glittered when he'd introduced Barf Bag. The other boy had immediately run to throw up, proving how he'd gotten his nickname, and Pendanski had smiled. Yeah, Hector knew better.

Living on the streets for the last four years had taught him you were either a thug, a victim, or invisible. He opted for invisible. No one paid much attention to a quiet kid who they forgot almost instantly. But he'd seen his share of violence... and sex. He knew he was gay, that wasn't the problem... the problem was the person.

He was going to try becoming invisible. He'd serve his time, and go back... probably to an orphanage. But he'd get out again.

He didn't really mind the others. Yeah, they talked big, but most of them were just punks. Rex (aka X-Ray) was the unofficial leader. Ricky (aka Zig-Zag), the paranoid one, who always seemed to know what day it was. Jose (aka Magnet), the light-fingered thief. Alan (aka Squid), the hick, whose history seemed almost as bad as Hector's own. And Theodore (aka Armpit), the enforcer, whose body odor was almost a deadly weapon.

But now, there was a new guy. Stanley something. Hector saw him out of the corner of his eye when Pendanski brought him in. Heard him being introduced to everyone. Then Pendanski got to him. Hector hadn't said a word since coming to camp, and he didn't intend to. He ignored them, until Ziggy started in about the lizards, then chanced a peek at Stanley.

He was a big guy, but seemed extremely nervous. Hector figured he was one of those kids who got picked on alot because of his size. He understood that. He was the smallest boy in camp. Sometimes he felt like he was 11 instead of 14.

He saw Stanley glance at him, and quickly rolled over to face the wall, frowning. There was something about this new guy... Hector could feel it. 'And,' he thought, 'so can he.' The thought gave him a funny feeling in the pit of his stomach. But, then again, maybe it was hunger pains, it was almost dinnertime.

However, at dinner, Hector realized that there might be something wrong with that theory.

Things weren't usually too bad at dinner, 'cause everyone was usually tired after a day of digging in the hot sun. But then they started on Stanley, just like they'd started on him. X-Ray had taken his bread, using the excuse of Stanley not digging. And Stanley had just rolled over and accepted it. Hector sighed silently. No possible help there then.

He knew it was coming soon. He'd seen the look in Pendanski's eyes, especially after the man had decided that Hector couldn't talk. You didn't spend as long as he had on the streets without witnessing some of the darker side of America.

Then Hector stopped thinking. He couldn't believe what he'd just heard. Stanley had been sent here because he'd been accused of stealing Clyde Livingston's shoes? Homeless shelter? Hector just had to know... "Did they have red X's on them?"

You could have heard a pin drop. Everyone was staring at him. Oops. Shit! Armpit was teasing him, but Hector tuned him out. He was frozen, staring at Stanley. The boy nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, they did." Well, the damage was done now. Maybe if word got around that he could talk, Pendanski would figure he wasn't worth it after all... then again, Barf Bag hadn't exactly been the silent type.

He'd known there was something about Stanley. He just had to figure out the connection. He knew it was there somewhere, but it wasn't just the shoes.

The next morning, he watched as Stanley got chewed out for taking X-Ray's shovel. It was the shortest one, and no-one else was allowed to touch it. Hector smirked slightly as he led the way out to the lakebed. He kept an eye on Stanley. He knew there was bound to be a lot of crap from the other guys. They ragged on everyone, even each other.

He watched as they threw dirt on Stanley, smirking slightly, because he knew that it could be worse. Some days, he wondered if the old story his mom had told him once was true. She'd mentioned once that her grandmother had supposedly been a fortuneteller. He wondered if maybe he had a small bit of that psychic ability too. Then he sighed silently. If he'd been psychic, he wouldn't have done what he'd done.

The water truck came out, finally, and Hector went to get his refill, wincing as he caught sight of Stanley's hands. But he went back to his hole, and started digging. When he was done, he grinned, before spitting in his hole. It was slightly out of pride, at being done first (he had been since his first day), but mostly anger. At the digging, at Pendanski, and at this whole situation.

He heard Stanley ask if he was done, but ignored him, slinging his shovel up across his shoulders, enjoying the feel of it rolling across his tired muscles. The other guys joked about him being a mole, but he ignored them too. Strangely though, he could still feel Stanley's eyes watching him... long after he was out of sight.


	2. Chapter 2

Staying Silent

Whyteroze28

Why is Hector Zeroni so quiet, and why does Pendanski seem to hate him so much? Zero/Stanley I hope you like the story, please R/R

I obviously don't own these guys, but I think they're so cute together

Chapter 2

It was funny, Hector thought, how the sound of a gunshot sounded so different in the quiet. He heard Mr. Sir's gun go off, and then two minutes later, Stanley was racing into D-Tent, telling everyone how Mr. Sir had saved him from a yellow-spotted lizard. Ziggy had started in with his psycho bullcrap, and the others were quick to tell Stanley how close he'd come to being killed. Hector watched Stanley sit down shakily on his cot. The boy glanced at him, and Hector shook his head slightly, not really certain whether he was trying to comfort Stanley, or tell him not to draw their attention to him.

He'd finally realized, after a long evening of thinking, that he felt drawn to Stanley. And it wasn't just the shoes. The boy had a clumsy, and clueless way about him, that made most of the guys pissed off at him. But Hector realized that Stanley didn't understand... most likely because he was one of the few boys here who actually had a real family. He'd seen Stanley starting to write something earlier. He figured it was a letter, because he knew that was what you were supposed to do... write letters from camp. But none of the others did.

Then, a few days later, things changed again. They were in the 'Wreck Room' playing pool. Hector was kicking X-Ray's ass, and X knew it. Hector was good at pool. It let him express the anger that burned inside him. And this wasn't just anger most days, it was blind killing fury, so he had to let it out somehow.

Then he caught sight of Squid harassing Stanley. He pushed past X, and moved to the center of the room, not realizing until he got there that he was still carrying the pool cue, positioning it like some kind of weapon. His fingers were clenched around the stick so tightly that his knuckles were turning white.

But then he saw Squid decide that Stanley wasn't worth getting into trouble over. His fingers relaxed on the cue as Squid crumpled Stanley's letter and threw it in the trash can. He watched Stanley pick it up, as he put the end of the cue on the floor, crossed his hands over the top, and put his chin down on them. Then Stanley flattened out the letter on the side of the mailbox, and kissed it before mailing it. Hector's mind sputtered for a second, as a thought crossed his brain... He wanted to be that letter.

The next day though, he was back to his normal routine. Until the water truck came. He stood in line patiently, quietly, until Pendanski finished filling up his water bottle, but then the man practically threw it at him. Hector saw the leer on his face again, and his anger rose. He hurried back to his hole, the dirt flying as he dug. He imagined every time he dug the shovel into the ground that it was striking Pendanski's face.

He was finished in record time, and he stalked back to camp, racing to the showers, so he could get clean, and go take a nap before dinner. He just wanted to be alone. But, if he had known... Just as he finished getting undressed, something caught his arm. He looked up... right into the evil, grinning face of the 'camp doctor'.

That evening, he was restless. He knew that it would happen again, probably soon. He had been told so. After all, no-one cared about 'Zero', the little nobody. He wasn't good for anything, he had no-one. All it would take was one mistake, and he could disappear forever. So he just set his mind on getting by, and praying that his time at Camp Green Lake passed quickly. Not that he really believed anymore that he would ever leave.

So he went back to the pool table. He was really kicking ass today. They played for shower tokens, and he really wanted a long shower, to wash away all reminders of what had happened.

Then he saw Stanley come in. He still didn't know how to explain that he always seemed to know where the other boy was. His eyes tracked the bigger boy, even as he sunk another ball. But then, some guy bumped into Stanley, and he fell onto a guy known as Lump. Lump was one of the laziest guys at camp... and one of the meanest. Lump kicked him across the floor.

Stanley apologized, and for a moment Hector thought everything was ok... Then Stanley tried to get up, and slipped, knocking over the radio Lump was listening to, and landing on the guy again... Looking for all the world as if he'd jumped him.

Absently, Hector felt that anger rise up again as Lump prepared to beat the shit out of Stanley. But then, all the D-Tent guys raced over, trying to break it up. Hector wondered if something had happened out at the digsite while...

Amazingly enough, the guys cooled things down, and Hector turned back to the pool table, his eyes still blazing at Lump. Then he felt his fingers relax, and something fall from them. He glanced down in amazement. He had picked up the number 6 ball without even thinking about it. He caught a slight widening of Stanley's eyes as he looked at the ball too.

Then the guys started talking about 'Caveman', and Hector sighed inwardly. Something had happened all right. Stanley's eyes widened even more, realizing that HE was 'Caveman'. Hector knew then that Stanley had been accepted... more than he had been. He'd had his name before Camp Green Lake after all. He wondered what it would have been if he hadn't... probably Mole, if the teasing was anything to go by.

He heard Stanley ask if he was 'Caveman', but wasn't sure if his response was to the question, or his thoughts on his own non-existent possible nickname. 'It's better than Barf Bag.'


	3. Chapter 3

Staying Silent

Whyteroze28

Why is Hector Zeroni so quiet, and why does Pendanski seem to hate him so much? Zero/Stanley I hope you like the story, please R/R

I obviously don't own these guys, but I think they're so cute together

Chapter 3

That night was quiet. Hector half expected Pendanski to try something else, but he slept through the night. His dreams were strange though. There had been an old woman with no left foot. A handsome young man who looked a little bit like Stanley, with a pig. A tall black man with a mule-pulled wagon. And a beautiful blonde woman with bright red lips. And a strangely familiar melody playing throughout.

His eyes shot open, and he slid off his cot to get dressed. He knew he'd heard that song before. It was so close he could feel it. But then, he heard Stanley humming as he got dressed, and Hector felt like slapping himself. It was the same tune, almost. He must have heard Stanley humming it before... but it still didn't sound right.

Mr. Sir was driving the truck that day, and Hector was relieved. But he knew something was going to happen though, and he was right. As they lined up, he felt X-Ray grab his arm, and drag him back so he was behind Stanley. Now that he had been accepted, he was one of them, and worth more than 'Zero'.

He really wasn't bothered by the move. He'd been expecting it since the night before. But seeing Stanley looking sorry really bothered him. It made him realize that Stanley really noticed him... that if he did disappear, there would be one person here who just might care. True, it might not last past Pendanski's explanation, but Stanley would at least want to know. It almost made him want to cry, and he had turned away.

That night they had one of their 'group counseling sessions'. They had one every month, so Barf Bag had told him. He'd been ignored at the last one, once he'd proven that he wasn't going to talk. But now they knew he could. What would Pendanski do this time. The man walked in, and sat down, wearing a tank top instead of his usual 'uniform', and Hector felt his stomach clench. Now he really understood why Lewis had earned the nickname 'Barf Bag'.

He made it through Magnet's explanation of what he'd done to get him in here, even smiling a little at his 'If my pocket didn't start barking!' line. But then he froze again, as he heard Stanley say he knew who was the reason he'd come to Camp Green Lake. He glanced at him, hardly daring to breathe. Did he know. But then he breathed, as Stanley blamed his troubles on his 'no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather'.

'Wait, pig?' Hector flashed back to the dream he'd had that morning. Was it possible? Nah, it had to be a coincidence... right?

Pendanski had corrected him, like he did for all of them, and then his gaze had swung to Hector. The boy froze, his gaze dropping to the floor, his heartbeat speeding up as the man spoke. "Even Zero here isn't completely worthless. What about you, Zero? What d'you like to do?"

He knew that if he looked up, he would see the expression on Pendanski's face. The man knew how he made Hector feel, how revolted the boy was by just thinking of what had happened. He was using that experience to try to put 'Zero' in his place.

"You just won't talk with me, will you?" Hector could hear the hatred dripping off his every word. He was almost surprised that the others didn't hear it. They had to have known what happened to Barf Bag... But then he heard the surprised conversations in his head again. 'It must have been all the digging.' And he knew that they either didn't know... or didn't want to know.

He heard Armpit joking about how he only talked to Caveman, and almost smiled again. If they only knew why he talked to Stanley.

"You think you're better than all this?" And that did it. He looked up at Pendanski, his anger hot enough to set the Camp on fire. He did think he was better than this, better than Pendanski anyway. At least he didn't get off by forcing himself on someone weaker than he was.

He saw Ziggy's eyes widen just a fraction, as if expecting something. The boys really seemed to think he was going to say something.

He glanced at Stanley, almost as though asking permission, but really to see what Stanley thought of the conversation. And then he blinked. Stanley knew... or he guessed. And he was furious. He could feel the anger, almost as bright as his own. Stanley nodded slightly toward Pendanski, almost as if he was giving him permission to let the anger loose. And somehow, it calmed him. He glanced up at Pendanski and almost smirked at him. "I like digging holes," he said sarcastically.

"Then you're in the right place for it, Buddy boy." Stanley's head shot up at the tone, and he glared at Pendanski for a long moment. The others seemed to feel the tension in the room as well, but after a moment it broke as Pendanski got up and walked out.

That night he heard a rustling. He turned, and caught Stanley watching him.

"You want to talk about it?" he asked quietly.

Hector shook his head. If he told, then he knew his other feelings would come out... the ones that he had to keep quiet for fear of the other boys. He knew they would probably hurt him. Plus, Stanley would probably hate him, and right now, Stanley was the only friend he had.

Stanley shrugged. "If you do, I'm here."

Hector rolled back over, trying once again not to cry. He wouldn't let Pendanski win.


	4. Chapter 4

Staying Silent

Whyteroze28

Why is Hector Zeroni so quiet, and why does Pendanski seem to hate him so much? Zero/Stanley I hope you like the story, please R/R

I obviously don't own these guys, but I think they're so cute together

Chapter 4

Hector tried to ignore Stanley, really he did. He dug until he wanted to drop, tried avoiding the 'Wreck Room', and even going to sleep earlier, but it didn't help. And there was the added risk of taking showers alone, which he tried to avoid. But a few days after the 'session', he'd gotten caught, and returned to D-Tent with a heavy step, aching, and wishing he'd just ignored Pendanski that night.

As he walked in, he realized that there was only one person there. He saw Stanley reading something, he guessed it was a letter from home. He laid down on his cot, and looked at the other boy. He wanted to look away, he knew it was private, but then he heard Stanley laugh. Hector had heard it before, but usually it was overpowered by the others. Magnet's laugh being loud enough to drown out everyone else. And after the laugh, there was still a smile. Hector's heart clenched.

He sat up, and almost without thinking about it, he walked over to stand beside Stanley. "What are you laughing at?" he asked, and frowned slightly at how rude he'd sounded. But Stanley didn't seem to notice. Instead he read the line out loud, and Hector frowned.

'Little old lady who lived in a shoe? What the fuck?' Hector stared at Stanley, as if willing the words to make some sense.

Stanley tried explaining it, but Hector didn't remember any nursery rhymes. He didn't remember a lot from before he lived on the streets. He just continued to stare, knowing he must be making Stanley nervous, but unsure how to break the moment. Then Stanley turned his attention back to the letter, and Hector, glad for something else to look at did too.

Suddenly, Stanley mentioned how irritated he felt, and Hector's expression fell even more. He wasn't going to say it, but it almost exploded out of him. "I can't read." Then he almost stopped breathing again, as he heard himself ask, "Can you teach me?"

His brain was screaming at him. 'Shut the fuck up! You can't spend more time with him!' But his eyes stayed focused on Stanley, even as he saw the closed expression on the other boy's face. He made excuses about being too tired, but Hector could see that wasn't all. He could almost feel the 'Zero' persona sliding back into place as Stanley brushed him off.

He scratched his head, but kept staring at the spot where Stanley had been sitting, as the boy tried to be friendly while he left. Hector knew he shouldn't be upset, Stanley probably really was tired... he was the slowest digger at Camp Green Lake, after all. And, it really wasn't Stanley's place to teach him. But Hector felt a tear working its way down his face as he stared at the spot where Stanley had sat, and he stayed in that spot for a minute, willing himself to stop feeling sorry for himself.

He sat down on his cot, staring at nothing, as he heard the other boys laughing an joking outside, and his heart clenched again as he heard Stanley join in. He knew they weren't laughing at him. He could tell by the sounds that it probably had something to do with Armpit, but even though his brain understood, the rest of him felt as though he'd just lost the only friend he ever had.


	5. Chapter 5

Staying Silent

Whyteroze28

Why is Hector Zeroni so quiet, and why does Pendanski seem to hate him so much? Zero/Stanley I hope you like the story, please R/R

I obviously don't own these guys, but I think they're so cute together

Chapter 5

The next afternoon, Hector was almost done with his hole, when he heard Magnet ask 'Caveman' what he'd found. He watched as the others gathered around, speculating on the little gold tube. He couldn't see it, but he knew it was important. He frowned. Why was Stanley giving it to X-Ray? Then he watched, even more surprised, when Stanley told X to show it to Pendanski the next morning.

Why would Stanley give up the chance at a day off? He hated digging. He saw Stanley glance at him, and frown, as if to say, 'Leave it alone.'

He shrugged, and went back to digging.

But it was the last day he'd get to think about anything for a while.

The next day, X pretended to find the gold tube after Pendanski had filled his water. Hector watched with narrowed eyes as the man called the warden, and announced that they had found 'something nice'.

As the car pulled up, Hector couldn't stop his eyes from wandering over to Stanley. He saw a hint of frustration, probably from letting X take his claim. But then as the warden stepped out of the car, he caught a flash of something else. He glanced over, and stopped, stunned. The warden was a woman! No wonder Stanley and the others were staring. He frowned. Apparently, Stanley was straight, because he was staring at her like a starving man would look at a steak. He dug his shovel into the ground in frustration.

Stanley leaned against the side of his hole, seeming content to just stare at her all day. She seemed happy over that little tube, and rewarded X with his day off, double shower tokens, and a snack. And then told Pendanski to fill everyone's canteens. The idiot got a big grin on his face, and told her he'd already filled them. Then she turned to stare at him, and hissed, "Excuse me?"

He watched the man try to make nice, but she wasn't having it. Hector almost laughed at how quickly the smile disappeared. Even Mr. Sir was laughing, and Hector had a feeling that the two of them didn't really get along very well either. Then she yelled for 'Caveman'. Any happiness Hector might have felt disappeared. How the hell did she know his name... and why did she pick him? Was it because he seemed the one most fascinated by her?

She continued to pick on Pendanski, which normally would have made Hector's day, even though he knew he was going to have to try harder to avoid the man if he was pissed off. But then she told Hector to take over X's hole... and Stanley was going to help him! He didn't even care that it meant more work.

They worked until late afternoon, and Hector was almost glad when they finally broke for the day. Until he heard Stanley ask how the warden had known his name. His heart sank. Then he heard Ziggy's comment about the cameras (especially in the showers). He tried to believe Squid when he mentioned Ziggy's paranoia, after all he was slightly crazy. But he wondered if they were really there, and if they were, did Pendanski use them? Did he go back to his cabin, and watch the boys when nobody knew? The thought made him sick. Especially since the guys all ran around in their shirts and boxers at night usually.

That night, he walked out to the showers, but before he got there, he saw Stanley, looking up, twisting around as though he was trying out some crazy dance moves or something. Hector knew he was looking for Zig-Zag's cameras. It was cute. He watched as long as he dared, watching the cold water running down Stanley's chest, and back. He felt himself react to the sight, but couldn't look away. Then he heard the water shut off, and forced himself to look down. He heard Stanley leave the shower, and made his way over, as though he'd just arrived.

He showered as quickly as he could, letting the cold water shock his system back to normal, and sighed. Strangely enough, Stanley was still there when he left the shower. He wanted to say thanks, but that would mean acknowledging that there was a reason he didn't want to walk back to the tent alone.

The next day, Armpit tried to trick the warden, and they denied him a week of shower tokens. Everyone groaned, but kept digging. Three days later, however, they weren't so glad they'd found that damn tube. Hector wondered how long they would have had to dig if Stanley had given her the tube when he'd found it. Probably not anywhere close to this.

The warden was pissed too. She even jumped all over Mr. Sir and Pendanski for not making them dig fast enough. Hector knew to keep his head down and his shovel moving. There was something evil about her. A different evil than Pendanski, but evil all the same.

The next morning they returned to digging their own separate holes.


	6. Chapter 6

Staying Silent

Whyteroze28

Why is Hector Zeroni so quiet, and why does Pendanski seem to hate him so much? Zero/Stanley I hope you like the story, please R/R

I obviously don't own these guys, but I think they're so cute together

Chapter 6

Hector heard the thunder rumbling that morning, but ignored it. It didn't rain at Camp Green Lake. He almost felt sorry for the other guys though. They sounded so hopeful. He turned back to his hole, ignoring the sick feeling in his stomach.

But then he looked up as he heard Magnet yell. He realized that the sticky fingered thief had stolen Mr. Sir's sunflower seeds, and his heart sank even lower as Zigzag threw the bag to Stanley. He watched Stanley try to cover it up, but it was no use. He watched with a sigh as Mr. Sir took Stanley back towards camp. Then he knew suddenly what had to be done. He dragged himself out of his hole, and grabbed Stanley's shovel.

Zig-Zag stared at him, then asked what he was doing.

Hector just looked at him, willing the boy to think it through. He knew that Stanley wouldn't get back here soon, probably not until almost lunchtime or later. Why should he have spend all that time digging, on top of whatever punishment he was getting from Mr. Sir and the warden? He'd be out here until midnight at that rate.

Ziggy nodded, almost shamefully, and went back to his own hole.

By the time Stanley came back, his hole was done, and Hector was back in his. He watched Stanley telling the guys that nothing had happened, and then felt a small rush of pride at the joy in the older boy's voice when he saw that his hole was done. He watched, as the guys told Stanley that he'd done it, and couldn't help feeling flustered when Stanley came over and sat down on the edge of his hole.

"Hey, Zero. Why'd you dig my hole, man?" Hector sigh softly, as he heard the now hated nickname, but looked up at Stanley.

"You didn't steal the sunflower seeds." He shook his head slightly, feeling the familiar warmth spread throughout his body as Stanley stared at him.

"Yeah, but neither did you." Hector watched as he turned away, absent-mindedly tossing a small pebble off to the side.

Hector took a chance, hoping that he wasn't going to regret what he said, as he stared up at the bigger boy. He swallowed, and said, "You didn't steal the shoes."

He saw Stanley's eyes widen for a second, and he knew he had been right. He knew it was the shoes that connected them... but now it was more. He watched Stanley glance down, and an unreadable expression crossed his face.

"Still want to learn how to read?" Hector nodded slowly, unable to believe that he was finally getting his chance to be close to the other boy.

Stanley smiled softly, and held out his hand. "Alright, man." Hector couldn't help it. He felt his face break into the first real smile he'd felt in a long time. He tried not to hold the handshake for longer than he should, but wasn't sure if he'd broken it soon enough, because he thought he saw a flush of embarrassment on Stanley's face when they let go.

That night at dinner, he got a good look at Mr. Sir's punishment. He watched as Squid asked what happened, and felt Stanley get tense. He knew, somehow, that Stanley thought this was his fault. But Hector knew better. It was Magnet's, and the other guys. They let Stanley take the blame, because he was willing. Although one good thing seemed to come out of this mess. Stanley didn't seem so keen on the warden anymore.

Hector could have cried the next morning when Mr. Sir filled their canteens. He watched as the sadistic man poured what should have been Stanley's water on the ground. He stepped up to get his own, but noticed that Stanley seemed to be lost in thought. Especially since he sat down on the edge of Hector's hole again, instead of his own.

Hector offered him a drink, but even as he took the bottle, he was gazing out into the lakebed. He didn't even take a drink before he turned to look at Hector, and asked about that damn gold tube. Of course he remembered it. It had led to that shower incident. He'd never forget that.

Then Stanley said something that made Hector pause. He thought it might have been a tube of lipstick that belonged to Kate Barlow.

Hector gulped slightly before asking, "Kissin' Kate Barlow?"

If Stanley noticed that Hector had flushed slightly at the word 'kissin', he didn't show it. He just smiled, and repeated the name softly. Hector felt his skin get darker. Hearing Stanley say it in that husky whisper made him feel even warmer.

And they were due for their first reading lesson that afternoon.


	7. Chapter 7

Staying Silent

Whyteroze28

Why is Hector Zeroni so quiet, and why does Pendanski seem to hate him so much? Zero/Stanley I hope you like the story, please R/R

I obviously don't own these guys, but I think they're so cute together

Chapter 7

"Z... E... R... O..., that's it." Hector watched as Stanley wrote the letters, a slight frown on his face. He knew that the older boy didn't know his real name, but he felt bad knowing that this was how Stanley saw him.

He watched Stanley rub at his eyes, and spoke quickly. "I can help you dig your hole, so you won't be too tired to teach me."

He watched Stanley's gaze flick to his face, and the older boy got a stubborn look on his face. Hector thought he was worried about what the others might say. He refused.

"Look," Hector sighed, "You're a slow digger, alright." He smiled, thinking Stanley might accept it more if he acted like he was joking.

Stanley frowned, with the pencil between his teeth, then chuckled. "Ohh, you're trying to bag on me?"

"Yeah, I'm trying to bag on you. All right." His cheeks felt sore from so much smiling, but the pure rush of sitting beside Stanley made it all worthwhile. Then he made himself stop. "This way we'll be done at the same time."

Stanley looked back down at the paper. "Well, it couldn't hurt," he stated, wiping his cheek, as though brushing something off it. Hector took the pencil hesitantly, biting his lover lip in concentration, trying to focus on the paper, and not the boy sitting less than half a foot away. "Go ahead," Stanley said, and Hector set to work

Forming the letters wasn't hard, but it did take all of his effort not to glance up at Stanley when he made one. "Z..." he could hear the voice, but if he didn't look he was okay. "E..." Well, maybe. "No, this has to go out like this." He leaned back slightly, as Stanley moved forward to correct his letter. "That's an R, ok?"

"This one's easy." Stanley said, as Hector moved forward, trying desperately to focus on the paper. He could feel the tension mounting, and felt him heart jump when he heard, "O. That's it."

Hector blinked at the paper, trying to understand how just four letters could make him feel so bad, and before he could stop himself, he blurted, "Y'know, Zero's not my real name."

Stanley stared at him in shock. He knew that it would surprise him, but he hadn't realized how much. And he hadn't realized how badly he wanted Stanley to know the truth about him. "It's not? But even Pendanski calls you Zero."

Hector's eyes narrowed at that, and Stanley seemed to realize he'd said the wrong thing. He still hadn't said anything about Pendanski, and he wasn't planning to, but it was still a big wall between them. He wondered if the 'session' was replaying in Stanley's mind.

"My name's Hector. Hector Zeroni." At that he saw a spark of something in Stanley's eyes. He knew it had something to do with his name. Could almost feel a tingling in the air as Stanley repeated it questioningly. But then Stanley shifted his pencil to his other hand, and held out his right.

Hector was confused for a second, then realized that Stanley was asking for a chance to start over. "Nice to meet you, Hector," he stated, as Hector quickly grasped his hand and shook it.

"Nice to meet you." Hector grinned widely. He never wanted this feeling to end. He knew that Stanley was going to get suspicious if he held on longer though, and he reluctantly released the other boy's hand. But then he realized that Stanley hadn't seemed to want to be the first one to let go either. He felt himself flush as he turned back to the paper.

Over the course of the next few days, though, he found himself regretting the offer to help dig Stanley's hole. Not because he didn't want to help, but because the other boys were constantly picking on Stanley. They treated him as though he was using Zero to dig for him. Stanley tried to brush it off, but Hector could see it really bothered him. Then he realized why.

One night, after he had finished his shower, while he was walking back to the bunk, he heard Zig-Zag and X-Ray talking loudly inside the tent.

"You know he is!" Ziggy yelled. "Why else would Zero be digging for him? The little bastard's already had it from Mom, and now he's fucking Caveman!"

Hector felt himself go cold. Was that what they thought?

"Caveman's teaching him to read, Zig. The poor kid just wants someone to be his friend." He sighed, as he heard X's reply. Maybe Ziggy was just on one of his paranoid trips again.

But then he froze again, as he heard Ziggy answer. "No, there's more to it than that. You don't always see the way he looks at Caveman. And the way Pendanski's eyes follow every move he makes. Squid read his file, just like he read everyone else's. He's lived on the street for the past four years, probably whoring himself out to the highest bidder. And who knows which one of us'll be next."

He forced himself to move. He knew that the talking would stop when he entered the tent, but it was the hardest thing he'd ever have to do. He hated the fact that Ziggy seemed to know exactly what was going on with him and Pendanski... and he thought back to that small smile during the 'session'. But worse than that, he hated the fact that everyone thought Stanley was having sex with him, just to get him to dig for him. Because somewhere deep inside he knew that if Stanley had ever offered, he probably wouldn't be able to turn him down.


	8. Chapter 8

Staying Silent

Whyteroze28

Why is Hector Zeroni so quiet, and why does Pendanski seem to hate him so much? Zero/Stanley I hope you like the story, please R/R

I obviously don't own these guys, but I think they're so cute together

Chapter 8

"Twenty six letters." Hector sighed, digging another shovel full of dirt out of Stanley's hole. They were working side-by-side, and Hector was trying to keep his mind from returning to the conversation from the night before. "We can do five letters a day for four days, and then six letters on the fifth day."

"That's good math." he heard Stanley say, and he glanced up. They were both digging in the same spot, and their shovels clanged together for a second. But there was no mocking expression on Stanley's face, only a kind of surprise.

"I'm not stupid," Hector replied, and he heard the hurt in his own voice. He heard the footsteps getting closer, and he knew one or two of the other guys were approaching, but he just had to get the words out before they got too close. "I know everyone thinks I am, I just don't like answering stupid questions."

Suddenly, he saw Stanley look up, and watched as X-Ray and Squid stared down at him. He could see the puzzled expression on Squid's face, and he wondered for a minute if Squid realized he had handed Zig-Zag a ticking bomb.

"Hey, yo, Caveman." X-ray called. "Must be kinda easy, working with your own personal slave, and all, huh?" He narrowed his gaze to X-Ray, before turning away in annoyance. He guessed that X had decided Ziggy was right, or at least that he might be.

X-ray smiled at them mockingly. "What's up, stupid?" he said nastily, grinning at Hector. "C'mon, Squid."

"Whatever." Squid muttered as he knocked a shovelful of dirt back into Stanley's hole. But he gazed at Hector for a second longer, as if to express something. Hector wondered if the boy was having second thoughts.

He didn't dare look back at Stanley, but just stood there a minute, until the blood racing through his veins had slowed down. He knew Stanley was mad too, he could feel it, but there wasn't anything either of them could do. If they tried to take on X-Ray, the whole tent would take them down.

A few days later, after they had finally run through the whole alphabet, Hector was working his way down a list of words. He'd already done KING and LIKE, and was working on one he thought he knew. but was unsure why Stanley had put it there. He wanted to ask, as he wrote the letters. "M... O... M..." But he was still afraid that if he mentioned Pendanski, he would crack. But then, his thoughts went to his real mom, and he glanced over at Stanley, before fixing his gaze on a corner of the tent.

"We weren't always homeless." He kept his gaze fixed as he spoke, not wanting to see the pitying expression on Stanley's face that he felt sure would be there. "I remember we used to live in a lot of different places. And then… we didn't live anywhere."

He turned then, his eyes boring into Stanley's, as if daring him to say something. And then, just as quickly, he looked down, wanting to cover up what he felt had been a stupid mistake.

"It must've been hard." Hector looked up quickly. Stanley's voice didn't sound pitying... It almost sounded like... he was trying not to cry.

Hector tried to force the words out. "Yeah. My mom had problems, but she would try so hard to make a better life for us. She always used to say, 'I love you more than air'." He looked at Stanley, but the other boy's head was still down, and Hector knew he was trying to get a hold of himself. "She couldn't take me everywhere she went. I used to have to wait like on a porch or a playground." Then he sighed heavily. "Then one day she didn't come back."

"What happened to her?" he heard Stanley ask, and his voice still sounded a bit rough.

Hector sighed again, deeper, feeling the depression sinking all the way to his bones. "I don't know. That's what bothers me the most. If I could, I would hire a whole team of private investigators, just to find her. Or to find out what happened to her."

"I used to wait at Laney Park," he stated suddenly, remembering the park that had been his home for the first month or so of his mother's absence. He felt Stanley sit up, and suddenly felt sick. More connections, when he was trying so hard to push the boy away.

"Laney Park?" Stanley asked, and Hector frowned at his next thought. There was only one way to make Stanley stop.

"Yeah." he replied softly.

"I used to go to Laney Park all the time!" Stanley exclaimed. He was grinning, and Hector felt his heart break a little more. He knew that the older boy was just now getting that sense of connection that he'd felt when he'd first seen him.

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah!"

"I used to sleep in the tunnel next to the swinging bridge." He watched Stanley's face fall, and wanted to reach out to him, but knew that if he did, they'd both end up suffering for it. So he just looked at him steadily. "But no biggie," he replied, turning his attention back to the paper. He felt Stanley's gaze on him for another minute before the boy thought to look down and check his work.


	9. Chapter 9

Staying Silent

Whyteroze28

Why is Hector Zeroni so quiet, and why does Pendanski seem to hate him so much? Zero/Stanley I hope you like the story, please R/R

I obviously don't own these guys, but I think they're so cute together

Chapter 9

The next day, Ziggy was in a mood, claiming it was his birthday. Hector didn't know what day it was, but he knew that if anyone did, it was Zig-Zag. The boy had a head for dates, the way Hector had one for numbers.

By lunchtime however, things had seemed to be calming down. The boys were still picking on Stanley and Hector, but it wasn't anything either of them hadn't heard before.

But then Pendanski had brought the truck, and delivered lunch, and Hector felt that sick feeling in his stomach again. He'd glanced at Pendanski, but he was busy talking to one of the other boys. Then his gaze had fallen on Zig-Zag, who was striding over towards him and Stanley, and he knew. The bomb was counting down.

At first Ziggy made some stupid joke about giving Stanley his cookie in exchange for letting Ziggy dig. Stanley tried to brush it off, and Hector watched Ziggy's face harden. He was deliberately provoking the other boy.

Suddenly, Pendanski was there, and Hector realized that he wasn't going to stop Zig-Zag. He was actually encouraging Stanley to fight him back. He glanced up, and saw the grin spread across the man's face. Pendanski knew how he felt about Stanley. That had to be it. He wanted to watch the other boy get the crap beat out of him, and wanted Hector to see it... to know he was still in control.

Hector saw red. As he watched Zig-Zag tossing Stanley around like a dishrag, he took a running start, and latched onto the taller boy, arms locked around his throat in a deathgrip. He barely felt the other boys trying to pull him off, or heard Pendanski's voice. All he could think about was the blind fury assaulting his senses as he saw Stanley lying there. He knew that he was probably killing the other boy, he felt his struggles weakening, but he didn't care. At that moment, Zig-Zag represented everything that was wrong in his life.

Suddenly, he heard a gunshot, and his arms released. Subconsciously, he was assessing himself, even though he knew that they weren't going to waste their bullets on him. He slid away from Ziggy, his gaze turning on Pendanski, standing there with a rifle in his hand, and then he walked over to Stanley to help him up. "Are you alright?" he asked, and glanced up.

He saw Stanley staring at him, amazed, and then, he saw a small spark of something burning in the other boy's eyes. He allowed himself a small smile, even though he knew that this was it. Either the warden would send him to a real jail for attempted murder, or he'd get worse from Pendanski.

As he listened to the conversation around him, he felt the warden's eyes on him. Especially when she found out about the reading lessons. Obviously, she didn't have hidden cameras then, or she'd already know. But then Pendanski started in. He felt his lips moving, and knew that if he gave in to the urge to talk he'd say a lot more than cat. So he stayed silent, knowing he was just playing into the man's hands, but not sure what else he could do.

Then the warden announced that he couldn't have his lessons anymore, and he knew that if they stopped, Stanley would start avoiding him again. He felt the anger rise up again, not hot, but freezing, and he knew. If he stayed, he wouldn't survive the night. "I'm not digging anymore holes." he stated, and he saw Stanley glance over at him, understanding shining in his eyes. He knew that Hector didn't just mean that he would stop helping.

Then Pendanski threw him the shovel. As he caught it, his body was already sizing up the weight in his hand, and as he heard the man spelling again, he glanced down, giving the impression that he was actually thinking about it. In his mind, he saw the bomb again, and almost felt the explosion as it went off. Then he reached for the rage, and swung as hard as he could. He felt the impact, saw the man go down, and crouched down, putting all the contempt he'd felt for the man into the word that came rushing out of his mouth. "Dig!"

Then he jumped up and ran, still holding the shovel like a lifeline. He heard Stanley yell, "Go, Zero! Go! Run, Zero!" And dared to glance over his shoulder at the boy, who was smiling. He felt a bit sad that Stanley hadn't called him by his name, but he suddenly realized that it was probably for the benefit of the others. After all, none of them even knew his name.


	10. Chapter 10

Staying Silent

Whyteroze28

Why is Hector Zeroni so quiet, and why does Pendanski seem to hate him so much? Zero/Stanley I hope you like the story, please R/R

I obviously don't own these guys, but I think they're so cute together

Chapter 10

The next thing he remembered was waking up the next morning. He was sore from sleeping in one of the holes, but he knew it was better than what could have happened. He spent the next day wandering, pulling out that freezing rage whenever he got too hot, and by the time he saw the boat, he was shivering.

He saw the depression underneath, and checked to make sure there weren't any lizards around, before crawling under it. Then he saw the jars. Caked with years of dirt, and probably full of germs, he thought, but he didn't care. He tried to open one, but he couldn't so he broke it. The stuff tasted so good after almost a day of nothing to eat or drink that he emptied it quickly. He sighed when it was gone though, wishing he'd thought to ration it.

For the next few days he wandered in and out of dreams. He had the one he'd had after Stanley had gotten his nickname, and decided that the man had to be related to Stanley. And then the other one, with the black man, and blonde woman... Then his mind wandered back to that day when Mr. Sir had denied Stanley the water, and he heard his voice again. "Kissin' Kate Barlow."

He decided to name the stuff in the jars 'Sploosh', because of the funny gurgling feeling it gave him. He knew that it was a dumb name, but he really didn't care, after all, it wouldn't last forever.

Sometimes, in his worst delirium, he thought he was dreaming about the camp. He heard Pendanski's voice say, "No-one cares about Hector Zeroni." And then Stanley's soft, but steely reply. "I do."

He thought he heard Stanley calling for him once, but when he looked out, there wasn't anything there.

Then, late one morning, he heard it again, but softer. He didn't want to move, but he forced himself. He knew that the more he ignored it, the longer it would go on.

But when he looked outside, he thought he was still dreaming. Stanley was standing there, looking gorgeous as ever, and Hector wondered if he had finally died. Then he was being enveloped in the best hug he could remember, and he knew that he wasn't dead, but he still felt like he was in heaven.

At least until Stanley tried to get him to go back to camp. He adamantly refused, still unwilling to discuss why, and asked Stanley to try the Sploosh. He watched as Stanley's face lit up, and grinned at the reaction, feeling as though he was back inside one of his fever dreams. He couldn't stop smiling, even as he told Stanley that was his last jar. He felt other words bubbling up inside him, and they had almost broken free when Stanley voiced his opinion on going back to camp again. He felt the bubble pop, and his face fall, as he stated, "I'm not going back." Why couldn't he make Stanley understand.

But then he felt a small rush of happiness when he heard Stanley say, "You will die out here." It wasn't we, Stanley was totally focused on getting him back. Totally focused on his well-being. He listened to Stanley's half-cocked idea about telling the warden about the tube, but couldn't seem to focus his thoughts. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. "What's Mare-ya-low?"

It seemed to stun the other boy for a second, and he stopped, angrily. Hector led him back outside, and Stanley saw the words on the side of the boat. They had puzzled Hector since he had first seen them. When Stanley corrected him, and started explaining that it said "Mary Lou," it almost felt like they were back in one of their sessions. Then he stopped, his words trailing off. He asked Hector what a mountain in the distance looked like, and Hector realized it looked like the thumbs-up sign. And he realized that Stanley had a plan.


	11. Chapter 11

Staying Silent

Whyteroze28

Why is Hector Zeroni so quiet, and why does Pendanski seem to hate him so much? Zero/Stanley I hope you like the story, please R/R

I obviously don't own these guys, but I think they're so cute together

Chapter 11

They started walking, as Stanley told him about his Great-Grandfather who had been lost in the desert, and Hector fought the urge to ask about his other family member. The one Stanley had affectionately referred to as his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather. Hector knew there was a story there, he had been dreaming about the man, after all.

When they got to the base of the mountain, he stared up at it. He wasn't a quitter, but he knew he wouldn't make it up that mountain on his own. He was already sick from the Sploosh, and his guts felt like they were trying to eat their way out. But he wasn't going to let Stanley know. He'd ignore it for as long as he could, and then tell Stanley the truth about the shoes before he died. It was only fair that he knew why he had been stuck out here. Hell, maybe he'd even tell him about Pendanski, and his crush too. Might as well have a clear conscience when he went.

They climbed for what felt like days, talking about nothing important, though his heart had seized up when Stanley made his comment about Mary Lou in a bikini. But then he realized that Stanley probably thought he was straight, even if he knew about Pendanski. He probably guessed Hector was keeping quiet out of shame.

Then his heart stopped. He watched with his heart in his throat, as Stanley swung from the cliff, and all he could think of was the real possibility that Stanley would die right there. He knew what he had to do, and he braced himself for the pain as he wedged the shovel in tight and grabbed the blade. He felt Stanley's weight, and held on, willing him to make it, and when he did, Hector had to force himself to let go.

He bit back a cry of anguish as he saw the bloody marks on his hands. He knew it would be twice as hard to climb now. He couldn't stop himself from yelling a bit when Stanley bandaged his hands, the rag wasn't exactly clean to start with. But he knew he was going back into the delirium when he heard himself say that the Sploosh was getting to him. He hadn't wanted Stanley to know that... not yet.

He thought he had passed out again, because he could see the other guys from D-Tent.

They were all walking along, Magnet in front, staring off into the distance, his voice almost hopeful.

"Maybe he found Zero. Maybe they're both still alive."

X-Ray groaned, and glanced back at the others, his voice condescending. "Maybe the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy are still alive too."

He heard Squid's voice, gloomier than usual, his shovel slung across his shoulders, like Hector himself had always done. "Maybe my mom will stop drinking, and my dad will come home."

And there was a new guy there, a twitchy little guy, with brown hair, almost as small as Hector himself, maybe even smaller. "Man, when Caveman stole that truck..."

Zig-Zag, reached out to cuff the kid on the shoulder, and smiled, lost in thought. "That was awesome."

"Yeah, man. Caveman did have style." Armpit grinned, his words sad, as though he knew that they weren't ever coming back, which Hector thought, they probably weren't.

Then Stanley smacked him, and he jerked awake. He was still lying on the mountain, and the guys were nowhere in sight. He quickly recounted the dream, and watched Stanley's expression go from concerned to stunned, especially when he mentioned the smaller boy.

"Hector, are you... psychic?" he asked, warily.

Hector shrugged. He still wasn't sure, but now he was really starting to wonder himself. He always seemed to know things the others didn't after all.

They started up the mountain, Stanley spelling words, and Hector trying to figure them out. But suddenly, Hector felt his stomach give a violent twist, and he stopped, dropping the shovel, and feeling himself heave, trying to throw up something that wasn't there. He felt his foot slide out from under him, and the entire mountain seemed to tilt, and suddenly, he was falling, rolling down the mountain, as he heard Stanley calling to him. But he was calling the wrong name. He wasn't a Zero, couldn't Stanley see that?

He felt Stanley stop him, but couldn't move, staring at the gaping drop that lay in front of them. He zoned out for a minute and realized that Stanley was moving him, arranging him, so he wouldn't fall any farther. And at that instant, Hector knew he was going to die. He tried to force the words out. "Stanley, I got to tell you something, man." And he knew it wasn't going to be the shoes, or Pendanski. He had to tell Stanley how he really felt before it was too late. But he couldn't make himself say anything, He heard the other boy say something about ice cream, and then he felt himself slung across Stanley's back. As he hung there, suspended, he wondered again if he was going crazy. He saw the old woman from his dream again, and she was singing. A song that he knew, but the words sounded more familiar to him. It wasn't quite the tune he'd heard Stanley humming that morning, and he realized that this was why Stanley's song hadn't sounded right.

_"If only, if only  
The moon speaks no reply,  
Reflecting the sun and all that's gone by.  
Be strong, my weary wolf;  
Turn around boldly.  
Fly high, my baby bird—  
My angel, my only"_

He wondered how long he'd hung there, how long Stanley had carried his weight. The next thing he knew, he was getting splashed by cold water, and he sat up, shocked. But not by the water. Stanley had called him Hector again. And somehow he knew that he would never again hear Stanley call him Zero.

They played in the water for a minute, not caring how wet and muddy they were getting, and then he watched, as Stanley pulled something out of the ground. It looked like the biggest onion he'd ever seen, and he stared as Stanley bit into it. He watched the boy eat hungrily, licking his lips, and Stanley offered it to him. He asked what it was, because it didn't seem like anyone could eat a raw onion like that.

"It's a hot fudge sundae, just eat it." And Hector took it, if only to put his mouth in the same spot where Stanley had bitten through. But as he tasted the onion, he gasped. It was incredible. He handed it back to Stanley, and smiled.

"That's the sweetest onion I ever tasted," he heard himself say, as he watched Stanley take another bite. Then he watched the other boy lay back in the mud again, and... start singing? It was the song... but the one he'd heard Stanley humming.

"_If only, if only,  
The woodpecker sighs,  
"The bark on the trees was as soft as the skies.  
While the wolf waits below, hungry and lonely;  
He cries to the moon,  
"If only, if only…"_

And suddenly, the old woman's face erupted in his mind again. She was grinning, and he heard her sigh softly. "Tell him."

But he couldn't. He was still too sick to speak much, and they just lay there, eating onions, and drinking the cold spring water for most of the night. But he still felt as though a giant weight had been lifted off his chest, and he knew that as soon as he felt better, he was going to tell Stanley everything.


	12. Chapter 12

Staying Silent

Whyteroze28

Why is Hector Zeroni so quiet, and why does Pendanski seem to hate him so much? Zero/Stanley I hope you like the story, please R/R

I obviously don't own these guys, but I think they're so cute together

Chapter 12

And he did. When Stanley woke him up a few days later, he told him the truth about the shoes. He kept his voice low, and didn't look up, afraid to see the look of resentment he was sure the other boy had on his face. But then he heard him laugh. He looked up, and Stanley smiled. "It's destiny."

They sat there for a moment, and then Hector continued. He told Stanley about the vicious things he had endured from Pendanski, and the sick twisting feeling he had gotten from seeing the man, wondering when he would strike again.

Stanley's eyes blazed, as he looked at the smaller boy, and Hector felt a rush of pure joy when Stanley put his arm around him, hugging him tightly, and swearing that the man would never touch him again. They sat like that for a while, Stanley content to let Hector cry all over him, as he let out the pain he hadn't been able to express at camp.

Then, finally, the moment of truth.

"Stanley, I know why the other guys always picked on you at camp... you know, about me digging for you."

"Yeah," Stanley nodded. "They were jealous that they hadn't thought of the idea first. They weren't the ones getting finished early."

Hector shook his head, and told Stanley about overhearing Zig-Zag and X-Ray's conversation.

Stanley gaped at him. "They... what?"

Hector nodded. He kept his eyes glued to the bigger boy's face, watching for something that would tell him whether Stanley was just upset, or disgusted by the thought. "Yeah. They thought you were having sex with me."

The other boy just sat there for a moment, trying to wrap his mind around the words, and Hector glanced down, absent-mindedly picking up another onion. He stared at it, seeing the tall black man from his dreams picking them, and without a doubt he knew. These onions had been the cause of Kate Barlow's heartache. Not because of them, but because she (a white woman) had dared to fall in love with a black man who sold onions.

He was so lost in thought that he didn't hear Stanley call his name, so when the boy's hand gripped his chin, and forced it back up, he stared blankly at him for a minute. Then his eyes widened as Stanley's face came closer, and he felt the one thing he had wanted more than anything in the last few months. Stanley Yelnats the fourth was kissing him.

He moved quickly, dropping the onion, and reaching up to grab Stanley's hair, not completely sure what he was doing, but not planning on breaking this first kiss, of what he hoped would be many. But he overbalanced Stanley, and the other boy fell, landing slightly on top of him, and he gasped. He was certain of one thing. Stanley was right... this was destiny.

Later that night, they were staring up at the sky, basking in the glow of the wonderful feeling of just being together. Stanley had agreed not to push Hector, when the younger boy had admitted that he didn't feel comfortable even thinking about sex at the moment.

Then, out of the blue, Stanley had practically thanked him for stealing the shoes. Hector had been stunned, but the other boy had continued, mentioning something about a family curse. But then he went on. "I just have this weird feeling... everything's cool."

Hector smiled. "Yeah. Same here."

"You got the same feeling?" Stanley asked, grinning.

"Same feeling."

"It's a good one."

Hector nodded at a particularly bright group of stars in the sky. "You know, those stars look like a shovel to me."

"Exactly," Stanley sighed. Then he looked up. "Hector..."

"What's up?" Hector asked, even though he knew what was coming.

"I feel lucky."

He laughed, thinking of how he could twist that phrase. "The onions have gone to your head," Hector replied, smiling.

He knew the words were coming, even before they left Stanley's mouth, and he resigned himself to going back to camp. "What do you say we dig one more hole?"

They left early the next morning, and when they finally made it back to camp, Stanley showed him where the hole was where he'd found the tube. He quickly got to work, as Hector decided to go look for another shovel. As he ran into camp, he heard Mr. Sir, and Pendanski arguing over whose fault it was that the water truck was broken, and he couldn't help but smile as he heard Pendanski yell, "Don't you throw nothing at me!"

When he made it back to the hole, he stared. Stanley had really been working. He lowered himself into the hole, and they talked for a minute, deciding to widen the hole. As he heard Stanley's shovel thunk against something, his heart leapt. He still felt real lucky too.

Pulling that trunk out of the hole was exhilarating, and even though he knew they should keep their voices down, he still yelped. But then the lights hit him, and he stared up at the warden, and Mr. Sir, and his heart dropped to his toes. They were dead. Then he saw the lizards. Now they were really dead.

Then Pendanski came sauntering along. And told Stanley that his lawyer had come by, because he'd been proven innocent. Hector told him not to listen, but his own ears perked up as he heard Pendanski ask, "What about Zero?"

Then he saw the wild look in the warden's eyes. "Zero was never here. We've got lots of holes to choose from." She started in on some story about her family, but Hector's attention had been caught by something else. He noticed that there was writing on the trunk. He struggled to put Stanley's teaching to good use. S-T-A-N...

"Sa-tah-nuh." He saw Stanley look over at him, but he was too busy trying to decode the words.

He realized that it was morning, and they'd been there almost all night. The lizards hadn't done anything except use them to climb on, and he wondered if it was something about the onions they'd been eating... He remembered Mr. Sir complaining about the price of onions, and not buying any.

They heard the warden's shocked exclamation, and her telling Pendanski not to let the boys talk. And when the man left, they heard him fall into a hole, and Hector couldn't help it. He burst out laughing. To think, the man had scared him so badly, and now, he, Hector Zeroni, somehow had managed to survive tougher odds than anyone would have believed.

Then they clicked. He stared at the words, his mouth forming an 'O' of surprise. "Stanley, he whispered, stunned.

"Yeah?" the boy asked.

"Is your last name, your first name, spelled backwards?" he asked, hardly daring to breathe.


	13. Chapter 13

Staying Silent

Whyteroze28

Why is Hector Zeroni so quiet, and why does Pendanski seem to hate him so much? Zero/Stanley I hope you like the story, please R/R

I obviously don't own these guys, but I think they're so cute together

Chapter 13

"Yeah." Stanley answered, sounding confused. But before he could ask anything else, they heard voices.

Pendanski arrived with a woman and two men. They heard the warden concocting some stupid story about Stanley stealing her trunk, and he saw Stanley wince. The woman was stunned when she looked in the hole, and saw Stanley and Hector lying there, covered in lizards. They argued back and forth for a minute or so.

But then the warden went too far. "Excuse me. This wouldn't have happened if he wasn't a thief."

Oh, were they pissed. Stanley jumped out of the hole, scattering lizards everywhere, and Hector grabbed the trunk, more than ready to be out of there.

When he made it out, the warden tried to grab it, but he hung on for all he was worth. She tried threatening to send Stanley back to jail, but Hector knew her power over anyone was gone.

"It has his name on it!" he yelled, shocking everyone into silence. And as he watched her face pale, he held it up so she could get a good look. "See! Stan-ley Yel-nats."

And in the background, he heard Pendanski's sputtering, stunned exclamation. "He... he can't read."

Hector smiled as he let the police officer take the trunk, and heard Stanley call him. "C'mon Zero. We're getting out of here." And for the first time in, he didn't know how long, he didn't mind being called Zero. Because he knew now that it wasn't the name, it was the feeling behind it. And he could hear the warmth in Stanley's voice.

Back at camp though, things started to go downhill. He watched as the lawyer prepared to take Stanley away, and then he stood there, in silence as they both realized that there was no way she could take Hector as well. She had no right.

As he watched, Stanley told her he wasn't leaving without Hector, and Hector sighed. "I'll be okay," he said, forcing the words out past the lump in his throat.

And then Pendanski had wrapped his arm around Hector's shivering shoulders, and sneered, "We'll take good care of Hector." And Hector had wished he was back with the lizards. At least they didn't rape you first. But at least he had confirmed that it wasn't the name. Because his name sounded a thousand times worse coming out of that mouth than Zero. And he just knew that if he had to hear it again, like that, he would kill the man somehow.

But Stanley was adamant, and Hector felt like cheering when the woman asked for his file. Stanley had told him about the warden having Pendanski destroy his file, and now it was working against them. And as Pendanski walked away he heard Squid yell, "They're alive!"

The boys came swarming out of the mess hall, and Hector felt himself being grabbed by Magnet, as Stanley was hugged by Squid, and suddenly it didn't matter anymore what they called him. Because hearing Zero from them was like a breath of fresh air. They all hugged him, and he realized that these guys were his brothers.

As Pendanski came out and announced that he had no file, He felt someone grab him, and he stared up at Zig-Zag, who was standing there with a crestfallen look on his face. "Hey, man, I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry for what happened that day. I just..."

Hector shook his head. "No, man, I know what you were thinking, and it wasn't like that. There isn't anything going on between me and Stanley..." and then he peeked up at the blonde and smirked. "Yet."

Ziggy froze for a minute, then grinned down at him. "You're alright, Zero, you know. And listen, don't let what happened with Mom get you down, all right. He's a sick fucker."

Hector looked at him for a minute. "But how did you know?"

Zig-Zag blushed. "I saw it... the day we gave Caveman his nickname. I didn't realize what had happened, at first, but then when I saw the look on your face after you clocked him, I realized it wasn't what I thought it was." Then he sighed. "And then he tried the same thing with Twitch. But Twitch apparently studied martial arts at home, and knocked the bastard out again."

Hector smiled. and then they heard Mr. Sir... or Marion Sevillo, snarl as he was forced up against a wall. And then Hector laughed as he heard, "Just like you didn't know Pendanski wasn't no doctor neither."

They watched as the police took over the camp, and Stanley's lawyer told him he was coming with them. They stepped off the porch, then froze, as they heard the boom of thunder, and saw a flash of lightning. Then suddenly, it was raining.

The boys whooped, and ran out to play in the first rain to fall on Green Lake in over a hundred years. And Hector Zeroni, in his mind's eye saw Kate Barlow, and the tall black man meet on the side of the lake, and share their first kiss in almost as long. He felt Stanley hug him, and smiled, knowing it was all he felt comfortable with in front of the other guys. And then Squid picked him up, piggy-back, and twirled him around, and he laughed out loud at the pure feeling of family.

Then he smirked, as the warden came over, begging Stanley to open the trunk. And Stanley looked her right in the eye, and sneered, "Excuse me?" and slammed the trunk.


	14. Chapter 14

Staying Silent

Whyteroze28

Why is Hector Zeroni so quiet, and why does Pendanski seem to hate him so much? Zero/Stanley I hope you like the story, please R/R

I obviously don't own these guys, but I think they're so cute together

Chapter 14

Later, at Stanley's apartment, Hector felt a little out of place. He knew that the Yelnats family had accepted him being there, because Stanley had told his parents everything... but apparently not, because when he announced that he wanted to share everything with Hector, Stanley's grandfather looked stunned. "Did you say Zeroni?"

Hector nodded confused. "Sure did." Then the man walked over and kissed him on top of the head, as though he was his long-lost son. Hector turned to look up at Stanley, but Stanley just smiled as he took the stocks from his father.

Hearing Stanley announce that the stocks were worth millions, had put the smile back on his face though. And when the money finally came through, the first thing Hector did, was follow up on his promise to hire private investigators to find his mom.

Three months later, they'd found her. She'd gotten amnesia from being attacked the day she'd left Hector at Laney Park, and had only recently started remembering. Hector wondered if that had been a side-effect of the curse too. But then again, after hearing the story from Stanley, he really didn't think it was a curse, no matter what his great-great-grandmother had said. Instead, he thought that she had forseen this exact future, and planned for him and Stanley to meet. After all, it was destiny.

Exactly one year to the day that they had left Camp Green Lake for good, Stanley and Hector decided to invite the guys from D-Tent over for a party. They had become next-door neighbors, and were getting a lot closer.

The guys agreed, and they had a blast, and had even enjoyed hanging out with Clyde Livingston.

Then he'd gotten cornered. Apparently, Ziggy and Squid had discussed a few things, and Hector was happy to hear that the two were now dating.

But, he thought, later, as he watched them kissing, he still wasn't quite so comfortable.

Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around his waist. "They seem good for each other, don't they?" Stanley whispered in his ear, and Hector nodded.

"Yeah, I'm happy for them."

"But...?" Stanley turned Hector to face him, and Hector smiled at the concerned look on his boyfriend's face..

Hector sighed. "I just... I can't keep fighting myself forever."

Stanley frowned. "What do you mean, fighting yourself?"

Hector grabbed his hand, and practically dragged Stanley over to the nearest bench, because he didn't want to have this conversation standing up. Stanley was still almost a foot taller than him, and even though he liked that most of the time, it bothered him when they had to talk for more than a few minutes, because he got a crick in his neck. Plus, it was harder to kiss him.

He proceeded to do that for a minute, to compose his thoughts. He wasn't sure how Stanley was going to react to this conversation. They had been together for almost a year, but every time they'd even gotten close to getting physical, Stanley had backed off.

But not this time. Hector watched Stanley's face as he told him he felt that he was ready. The older boy stared at him. He smiled hesitantly, chewing his bottom lip, and watched the disbelief trying to fade from Stanley's face. "Are you sure?"

He nodded, and leaned up to kiss the older boy again. He heard whistling, and turned to see X-Ray, and Armpit grinning at them from the pool, Magnet was waving from the top of the slide, Twitch had befriended Barf Bag, and they were standing by the grill, Ziggy and Squid had finished their own make-out session and smiled at the two, and... Hector froze. His mom, and Stanley's parents were standing by the sliding glass doors, staring at them.

Then suddenly, their moms held up cameras. and smiled. He and Stanley maneuvered themselves into a more comfortable position, and leaned in for another kiss.

After the cheering had subsided, he heard Stanley's dad groan, "Well, they can always adopt."


End file.
